Blackheart V: EASY | LUCKY | FREE
Jul 27, 2020 14:10:36 GMT -5
The Papa John's Pizza Man, Karlie Nash, and 5 more like this
Post by Lissie Hope on Jul 27, 2020 14:10:36 GMT -5
The line around the American Airlines arena in Miami, Florida is growing by the second.
There’s genuine excitement in the air. Action Wrestling: Chaos, the summertime showdown just one month removed from the greatest event in history has descended upon the beachfront city. While there would always be travelers looking to partake in the afterhours dance parties and soaking up the sun from the pristine shores, locals and tourists alike have had this date circled in their calendars from the moment it was announced.
There are signs on the floor recommending social distancing, but it’s unenforceable at the moment. Wrestling fanaticism spawns all generations, all genders; grown men and women, young boys and girls, all idolizing their favorite superstars, hoping to catch a glimpse as they arrive at the arena one by one. Begging for hugs, for handshakes, for pictures, candid and posed. Those that braved the sun would be allowed into the arena early to savor preshow meet-and-greets, live interviews, and interactive games. This was always a fun atmosphere.
It was something Robbie Hope always enjoyed.
Lissie Hope has just arrived, fresh off a flight from Chicago. Her red eyes are tired, and she conceals them with sunglasses. Her hair is tied back, cloaked in a hoodie, trying to keep a low profile. But that energy is magnetic. She doesn’t go unnoticed, and a few young girls on the frontlines call out to her immediately. One is rocking the red and purple hues in her long hair. Another nearby is sporting the old “Hero” t-shirt. Lissie smiles, feeding off their screams, and is gratified to indulge them.
She pulls a sharpie out of her bag and walks towards the crowd, being bombarded from all sides with programs and magazines to sign. She notices a couple who’ve turned their back, hoping to catch a selfie with their faces in the foreground and Lissie in the background. Lissie places a hand on one young girls’ shoulder and puts her face into the frame. The girl immediately begins crying, and Lissie comforts her with a hug.
Hugs can be very cathartic.
Lissie wishes them all a great afternoon, tells them to enjoy the show, asks them for their cheers, and makes her way to the talent entrance. She shows her credentials to the staff and enters the corridor, pulling her glasses back up over the bridge of her nose. She remembered making this walk with Robbie, nearly every night. He had become somewhat of a constant backstage, like a piece of furniture that never diverted your eyes. He had become friendly with members of production, with the road agents - never undermining his sister’s relationships, never leeching off her recognition, never making noise or drawing attention to himself. He was just there to support her, in any way he could. Carrying her bags. Making sure she ate. Keeping her motivated.
He was perfect, and he embraced his role perfectly.
The only time he arguably overstepped was when he humored Adelaide’s advances. Certainly, she had to be acting with ulterior motivations, as she began the courtship against all societal normalcies, and he was apprehensive at first. But she wasn’t. There was a sincerity about her, and he always saw it. He was always a great judge of character. He knew tensions would arise with his sister, but he was prepared to mediate it. His heart was big enough to share. And he was so easy to love.
Lissie had to pause for a moment as she approached the cafeteria. She knew she would enter and see faces of her colleagues, many of whom didn’t like her, or who resented her, who wanted nothing to do with her. In order to handle the ostracism, she always had a friendly face sitting across from her.
Robbie.
“I’m not ready for this,” she thought to herself, wiping the tears from underneath her glasses. She began backpedaling back down the hallway, ready to exit the convention center and run from Chaos altogether, until a pair of skinny arms wrapped themselves around her sternum.
“Hi, bestie.”
It was Estrella Luiz.
This opened the floodgates, and her eyes began pouring. Despite not having the best relationship as of late, and the last time they’d spoken was when Estrella teamed with Kennedy to face the Swallowing in their official debut. Horrible barbs were traded. Punches were thrown. Friendships were broken. But any real closeness could always be resolved with a genuine hug.
“I love you,” Lissie immediately revealed.
“I love you, too,” Estrella replied, smiling. “And so did Robbie. He was such a great guy, Liss,” Estrella said, caressing Lissie’s shoulder, reminiscing about the brief friendship they had formed, drawn together by a shared concern over Lissie’s well-being. “You were always the first thing on his mind. I’m so sorry. If you need anything, I’m here.”
“Just being here,” Lissie began. “That’s enough. Thank you.”
Derrick and Geri Vayden approach from the rear, carrying Makayla. Lissie reaches out for the baby girl and Geri proudly hands her over. Lissie gently nuzzled the baby’s forehead.
“She’s beautiful,” Lissie says. “I’m glad to see you, Ger-Bear. I’m sorry you guys aren’t competing.”
“We’ve got our hands full,” Geri interjects. “Besides, we love showing the girl off. Just know, we’ll be cheering for you tonight…” a pause. “...and so will Robbie. I’m so sorry, hun.”
Lissie hands Makayla back to Derrick and pulls Geri in for a big hug. She always looked at her as an impressionable little sister who just needed a boost of confidence. And Lissie identified with her, fully realizing that her own confidence was dependent on the one man who kept her motivated.
“So what’s this… y’all gettin’ the band back together?” Derrick awkwardly asks. He smiles and punches Lissie in the shoulder. “So what’s up, we headin’ in? I’m starving.”
“I don’t think I can go in there yet,” Lissie responds. “I don’t think I can see everyone. I don’t want to be ‘the girl with the dead brother’, you know? I don’t want their fake compassion.”
“I wish you would give people a little more credit,” a voice from behind says, startling her. She turns and is face to face with Action Wrestling President Torture, standing alongside his son, the General Manager Alexander Pasternak. “What I’ve always wanted you to know is that your fellow competitors respect the hell out of you. They may not say it, but they root for you. And on behalf of the entire company, I want you to know that we stand behind you and your family, 100-percent.”
“If you need to take any time off, let us know and we’ll be happy to accommodate,” Pasternak interjects.
“Thanks, guys,” Lissie responds, a little surprised by their sincerity.
“Let us know if you need anything,” Torture finishes, before palming her right shoulder. They begin walking in the opposite direction.
“See? I told her I was better than Camila,” Alexander says, still within earshot.
“She already texted me last night,” Lissie says loudly with a smile as they turn the corner.
Lissie feels a looming figure standing behind her. His voice echoes through the hallway.
“Are you going in? You’re in the way.”
She knew that voice. Petrified, she slowly turned to face him. Her once arch-nemesis, a man who tortured and abused her, one she dreamed held her captive, all because of a misunderstanding.
“Hello, Lissie. Long time no see,” Corey Bull said.
“What do you want?”
“To eat, actually.” He laughs at his own joke. Loa looks on, eyeing the woman in front of her. “I’m sorry about your brother,” he says, rather earnestly. “If you ever need to talk… you know where I’ll be.” Both Lissie and Loa are confused by this. “...the boiler room, duh.”
“You still hang out in boiler rooms?”
“I like the sounds.”
Lissie nervously backs away and heads off towards the concourse. Corey looks at Loa confused.
“What did I say?”
***
Lissie skipped the meal. She couldn’t sit at a table in the center of the lunchroom with all the sad eyes staring back at her. Not from the men and women who’ve targeted her repeatedly. Who’ve promised to bury her, now that she’s handling the burial arrangements, fending off the predatory salespitches from funeral directors.
Instead, she makes her way to the booth where Adeline Floyd is conducting pre-show interviews for Sirius XM’s WrestleOne radio station. She is just wrapping up an interview with the Schorg Bros., and as Lissie observes, a figure approaches from behind.
“She’s doing great, huh?”
Lissie is shocked to see none other than QDT standing beside her.
“But how are you doing?”
“I’m… managing,” Lissie said, questioning why QDT is speaking to her.
“I heard what happened, and it’s awful. Like I told you, after you were kind during my retirement announcement…”
“Your fake retirement announcement.”
“Whatever. Greatness recognizes greatness. And that’s not the only thing that transcends wrestling. Something else that separates our lives in the ring from our lives outside of them is death.” Poignant, if a little insensitive. “Now as you know, I almost died recently…” QDT points to his headguard and tips it downward, like a cap, out of ‘respect’. “...and I know that if I had, everyone in my life and in this company would be devastated. So I get how hard it is. But the thing you’ve got to remember is that he isn’t suffering anymore. It was his time to go.”
“I don’t belie--”
“It was his time to go, Lissie.” He says sternly. “But the great thing is that you’re alive. And I’m alive! And we’re keeping Action Wrestling alive! And you’re keeping Robbie Hope alive.”
“,,,thanks, man.”
“And for the record, while you’re grieving, my grenade for you is a dud in the meantime. Wouldn’t want you to have to worry about that for awhile… coolio?”
Lissie is taken aback by this completely.
“Glad we had this chat, Lissie!”
QDT exits the scene, allowing Lissie to ruminate. During a commercial interlude, Adeline walks around the table and embraces Lissie in a loving hug.
“I’m so sorry,” she says. They’ve grown close over the last year. “I’m really glad to see you, Lissie. I didn’t want to say something so callous and stiff like ‘are you okay’ because, seriously, how the fuck do I think, but…” she pauses. “Are you okay?”
Lissie removes her sunglasses and the pain in her eyes is evident. “How the fuck do you think?”
“...yeah,” Adeline says, and pulls her in again, squeezing tighter. “I can’t talk for long, but I do want to sit down with you, and just hear you out, you know? You inspire a lot of people, me included. I’ve always looked up to you, Lissie, and let me tell you - one of most memorable moments I’ve seen in this business is when you won the title the first time, and Robbie was there in the front rows. He couldn’t have been prouder, Lissie. That’s how I’m going to remember him.”
“That was a great night, wasn’t it?” Lissie said with a smile.
“Congrats on Warrior of the Ring! How are you feeling after that? Three matches in a night, that’s intense!”
“I’m hurting,” she says. ‘More than you know,’ she thinks to herself. “But I don’t want to keep you, it sounds like you’re interviewing me and I don’t know, it just feels weird.”
“Yeah, I hear you. I’m sorry, I’ve been doing interviews all day, I don’t mean for it to come across that way.”
“It’s okay, Adeline,” Lissie says. “Who you got next anyway?”
A pause. “KOS, actually.”
“Well that’s just perfect timing,” she laughs. “Alright, I’m definitely outta here then.”
“Hey, Lissie,” she hears from behind, and Lissie turns to face none other than KOS standing behind her. The two share an awkward smile at one another. “Offer still stands,” he repeats from their encounter the other night. “Let me know if you need anything.” Adeline is perplexed as KOS removes himself from their conversation and gets himself seated at the interview booth. Both he and Lissie continue to share glances, and Adeline can feel the tension.
“Well, that was weird,” she says.
“He’s an interesting guy,” Lissie reveals. She shakes herself from the introspection. “Thanks, Adeline. I’ll text you later, okay?”
She departs with yet another hug.
Lissie continues walking around the concourse, stopping at a t-shirt stand. She eyes all of the new memorabilia that is going on sale tonight, a few limited edition posters and t-shirts. Robbie bought anything that had Lissie’s face on it, and there one was, a new poster with a cartoon design of Lissie riding atop a horse. A freelance artist had been commissioned to do the artwork and Lissie remembered explaining the details. It came out even better than she had imagined.
She pulled out her credit card and asked for a print, and the clerk immediately recognized her.
“Holy crap,” he said, geeking out. She smiled and paid for her purchase, before signing the print and handing it back to the clerk.
“That’s for you,” she says.
“Thank you! Holy crap!”
Lissie walked again, coming to a concession stand, remembering she hadn’t eaten anything yet. Just as she was approaching the cashier, an extremely tall man waving a German flag approached.
“Leesy Wut Wud U Lyke? Eye Am Yur Big FaNATEic!”
“I’m not German, though,” she thought to herself. Traw Ma was behind him rolling her eyes.
“Just give her a doughnut and be done with it, you big idiot,” Traw Ma said. NATE opened up his box of doughnuts and handed her one covered in purple frosting.
“Eet Match Yur Hair, Leesy,” he says, and he politely hands it to her. As he’s walking away, he leaves her with parting words. “Eye Iz Sowwy Bowt Yur Brudder!”
“Thanks, Nate,” she says softly, finally having a reason to smile.
She continues walking and comes into what appears a Cosplay convention. Little kids are running around, dressed as their favorite superheroes and anime characters. And then she sees the trio, who immediately stop hosting the children and turn their eyes to her. Of course, it’s Thomas, Cooper, and Sierra… The Super Villains in Training. Lissie tries to make a quick exit, but Cooper and Thomas stand in her way.
“Hey Lissie,” Cooper says. Out of the two, Lissie really enjoyed the late night conversations they had when she and Sierra were dating. It was nice having someone to talk about things beyond wrestling, for a change. “I know it’s hard, but if you ever want to try and get your mind away from it, there’s still a ton of coffeeshops we haven’t explored yet.” Thomas places a hand on Cooper’s shoulders. “I haven’t deleted your number.”
“Neither have I,” Lissie said, with a smile. “Hey Sierra,” she says, nodding to her ex-girlfriend. Sierra freezes. “I should go, I don’t want to interrupt y’all.”
Lissie turns to walk away but is surprised to feel the warmth of a pair of thin arms wrapping around her neck.
“I’m so sorry, Lissie,” Sierra says, and Lissie wraps her fingers around Sierra’s wrist and closes her eyes, squeezing Sierra’s arms into her body.
***
Lissie has circled the entire arena, ending up right back at the entrance of the cafeteria. Even more Action Wrestling superstars are lined up at the catering tables, and saddled up across from each other than there was before, and it’s become even more overwhelming than it was to begin with. Lissie stands at the entryway, unable to move.
“When are you going to take the leap?” says a feminine voice from behind her. It felt familiar, but foreign. Someone she’d only shared a few words with before, but whose words she felt like she’d heard a hundred times. It was something uplifting. Encouraging. It was something Robbie would say.
Lissie turned to face her. Her eyes, the color of crystal glaciers, her hair a sunny yellow. A figure so statuesque that she appeared to tower over her and cloak her like a hovering shadow.
“I’m sorry…?”
“No…” she replied. “I am.”
It was Bonnie Blue.
“You’re going to have to take the leap eventually. And I know it’s going to be hard for you, to do this alone…”
“I’m not alone,” Lissie contested. “I’ve got Addy.”
“Right,” she smirks. “But when you don’t, when you’re alone… like you are now… you can’t let this fear paralyze you. You’re Lissie fuckin’ Hope.” A smile. “Remember that.”
Bonnie Blue turns the corner and disappears.
“Thank you.”